Multiple machines (e.g., haul trucks, motor graders, water trucks, and other large equipment) often operate simultaneously at a common worksite. These machines move in close proximity to each other, using portions of the same travel routes and other resources (e.g., loading, dumping, and service resources). As a result, traffic congestion can become a problem. Specifically, when too many machines are vying for the same resources in an uncoordinated or poorly coordinated manner, inefficient delays and deadlock can result. This may be particularly true when the machines are autonomously or remotely controlled.
One attempt at congestion control of autonomous vehicles is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication 2015/0179062 of Ralston et al. that published on Jun. 25, 2015 (“the '062 publication”). Specifically, the '062 publication discloses a dynamic routing system having a plurality of land buoys, each proximately disposed to one or more different segments of a travel route. The land buoys gather situational awareness information about the route segments via sensors and cameras mounted on the land buoys, or directly from vehicles traveling on the road segments. The situational awareness information can include traffic density and obstructions. The situational awareness information gathered by each land buoy is communicated to a central server, which processes the information. Processing of the information can include weighting and normalization to produce traffic impedance scores for each of the road segments. The impedance scores represent the burden, difficulty, and/or desirability of a particular road segment, and vary between +1 and −1. The impedance scores are transmitted from the central server back to the land buoys, and from the land buoys to the autonomous vehicles for use in navigation and control of the vehicles.
Although the system of the '062 publication may be helpful in some on-highway vehicular applications, its application and benefit may be limited and costly. In particular, the system may only be useful along road segments equipped with the land buoys; and placement and maintenance of multiple land buoys can be difficult and expensive. Further, because the system may not have assigned routing information for each of the vehicles traveling on the road segments, the system may have limited success in anticipating or quantifying congestion.
The disclosed traffic system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.